Kane’s exploits in the Europa League and League Cup had fans clamouring to see head coach Mauricio Pochettino reward the 21-year-old striker with the starting striker position in his Premier League first XI.

He was left on the bench for the loss to Newcastle after scoring a Europa League hat-trick, before suffering the same fate for the home tie with Aston Villa after scoring once in a 2-0 victory over Brighton. He came off the bench to score an injury-time winner against Villa, before netting against Asteras Tripolis as a starter, and finally winning his first Premier League start of the season on Sunday - with the Lilywhites hosting Stoke.

However, the England Under-21 star was a disappointment, failing to score and registering just four shots. It appears as if Pochettino has been correct in leaving Kane on the bench, and his reputation amongst the Spurs fans appears to having the same effect upon the player as it did upon Tom Carroll when he broke onto the scene in 2012.

Carroll, still only 22-years-old, was touted as the key part of the midfield system at White Hart Lane, despite making just seven appearances in his first full season at the club. His ‘legend’ appeared to grow whenever he was left out, and the small cameo’s he made - generally late in games which were already won - seemed to cement the fact that he should be starting every game. A disappointing season on loan with QPR last term further removed him from first-team action, but he appears to be settling well with Swansea this campaign.

Whilst it is always a delight to see a local-born academy graduate make an impact on the first-team - something Kane has been doing - there is a reason why numerous head coaches have decided against building their teams around them - they just are not good enough.

Kane has proven that he is a good goalscorer, but only against weaker opposition, and he has failed to convincingly lead the line against a strong defence. Carroll proved himself a useful defensive presence late in games, recycling possession to see through victories, but he never truly managed to impose himself upon games.

Kane is a good player, and, as he is still young, he is bound to improve in the future. However, he is still far from good enough to claim the rightful role of starting striker of Spurs, and he should be grateful for the experience he is receiving in the Europa League, and as an impact substitute in the top flight. Spurs will continue to struggle whilst a top class striker is still nowhere to be found, but they should be looking to spend the required price to sign one, rather than rely on the still unpolished Kane.

Billy Hawkins

Billy is a freelance writer who contributes to various sites concerning football. Known to possess an obsession with statistics, Eastern European club sides, and Victorian football, he focuses upon the untapped potential of the Football League in the belief it is more enjoyable than the Premier League.